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| What is Article 82 of Indian constitution ? |
Article 82 of the Indian Constitution deals with the Delimitation of Parliamentary Constituencies — it lays the constitutional basis for redrawing the boundaries of Lok Sabha seats after every Census.
📜 Text of Article 82 (Simplified)
After every Census, Parliament shall enact a law to redistribute (delimit) the seats in the Lok Sabha (House of the People) among the States, according to the latest population figures.
✅ Explanation of Article 82
| Point | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To redefine Lok Sabha constituencies based on updated population |
| Who does it? | A Delimitation Commission is appointed under a law passed by Parliament |
| When is it done? | After each Census (which is done every 10 years in India) |
| Based on | The latest population Census |
🧾 Key Background
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The first delimitation happened in 1952.
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Delimitation was frozen by the 42nd Amendment (1976) until the year 2000, based on the 1971 Census.
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Later, the 84th Amendment (2001) extended the freeze till 2026.
🔹 This freeze was done to encourage population control, so that states with successful family planning programs were not penalized with fewer seats.
📌 Summary of Article 82
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Delimitation of Lok Sabha seats |
| Based on | Latest Census |
| Law passed by | Parliament of India |
| Body involved | Delimitation Commission (independent body) |
| Current freeze | Delimitation frozen till 2026, based on 1971 Census |
| Why frozen? | To reward population control efforts in some states |
🗺️ Example
If a state’s population increased significantly after 1971, its number of seats should go up.
But due to the freeze, States like UP and Bihar have more seats, and southern states like Kerala or Tamil Nadu have comparatively fewer seats, despite population control.
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